I Went Shooting Friday

It is the first time I have shot my AR-15 since I moved to Idaho.  I also shot my Colt Mustang and Firestar to keep in practice, since those are my everyday carry weapons.   The stainless steel guide rod has improved the Mustang's accuracy,  but remember it is a 2.75" barrel.  Still 5 of 6 on the 8.5" x11" target at 25 feet.  This is the only realistic distance for a very tiny .380.  

The Firestar did better, of course,  3.5" barrel 9mm.  But while cleaning both guns,  I misplaced the slide stop from the Firestar.  Not a spring; how far could it have gone?  Probably bounced under the car.

I have never spent much time with the AR-15 iron sights.  Going to HD lenses had made them much more practical.   I used the military 25m targets.  The battle zero for the AR-15 is 300 meters and 25 meters is at the same height as 300 meters, so getting it zeroed at 25m should be sufficient.  I would like a little more practice but I think I have a everything pretty well zeroed.

I took a couple shots with my Bushnell 3x-12x40mm scope.  Not even hitting the paper!  What?  This used to be pretty well zeroed in.  Then I noticed that the screw that holds the base in the handle was not tight, and the front of the base was a few inches low.   By this point,  I was ready to call it a day. Next Saturday. 

 

Worst of all, I  was in such a hurry to reach the toilet that I neglected to get my spotting scope.  I am sure it is gone now.  Fortunately they are cheap enough to buy a new cheaper than driving down to the range to hope it is still there.  A review of the range mentioned methheads gathering spent brass.Yes, I saw what was obviously a meth-addicted woman doing exactly that.  Really sad, like Victorian mudlarks.  But better than whoring herself out.

I found the slide stop, in the gun cleaning box.  A couple oddities:the Mustang originally came with 5 round magazines.  At some point Colt started making 6 rounders of the same length. I thought that I had one of those and that it was not locking open the slide.  But at the range none of them did so.  After cleaning, all the magazines seem to lock the slide open.  Perhaps dirt?  Or magazine not inserted with enough vigor?

More about that spotting scope.  The last time I used it was in California at a range in Marin County where the targets were up against a usually sunlit sky.  The images were never very sharp.  On Saturday, the Sun was behind me and the image was sharp!  Needless to say, I ordered the roughly equivalent scope of the same brand.

I cleaned the AR-15 yesterday.  Every time I do this, I find myself amazed and thrilled at how well-thought it is.  Disassemble the entire gun for cleaning without a single tool.  (The pin that holds the firing pin in the bolt almost requires the point of a cartridge, but not quite.)  The bolt that holds the breech block in the bolt just turns after you remove the firing pin and pulls right out.  Compare this to an M1A, a Ruger 10/22, a Marlin Camp Carbine, or a Remington 660.  Wow!  And it is easy to clean from the breech end.  The M1A is really impossible without substantial disassembly.